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"Ohh, this just feels right. You know? Like it was meant to be. Vault Hunters kill me, I learn humility, you bring me back where I belong, wiser and stronger. It's... just pretty sweet little character arc, isn't it?"

[presidenthyperion]

— salty little pretzel.

     rhys constantly found himself in the position of an idiot on the waiting list to be floated in anyone had ever come and take his place, truly it wasn’t that hard. the only thing he had was a shitty prototype of a pistol hugged against his chest. someone could easily find their way into his ( jack’s ) office and shoot him right between the eyes and hyperion was all there until a better gun was made or a smarter man took it right after he was gone. without the fear that jack had implanted into everyone, the leader of hyperion was constantly weak. rhys had nothing without jack; he felt like at any moment hyperion could simply fall apart, quite literally. jack had disappeared, leaving him on his own. maybe jack couldn’t take seeing rhys run around like a chicken with his head cut off anymore; he disappointed the only man he idolized. it was a mystery to both himself and everyone else that rhys hasn’t just floated himself by now. become a bandit down on pandora, cut off contact with everyone else a just become a binger drinker at the purple skag like all of the other worthless, poor pandorans. it seemed like his best shot at a normality after this, grow the facial hair–– he couldn’t change his name, maybe even devolve into a psycho… but with better shoes and socks. 

     he could feel his heart race quicken, he could feel it beat against his chest, his ribs pounding slightly at the feeling. it almost hurt with how much it was beating, but he couldn’t tell if it was beating out of fear, excitement or something completely different. rhys felt like he’d made a mess of hyperion and he didn’t want handsome jack to have to clean it up, that should’ve been rhys’ job. 

     how do you greet the president of hyperion who’s been dead for months on end and had no sign of coming back ? with a hug, a handshake, ( a kiss ), a ‘sup nod ? he couldn’t brush it off like it was nothing, this was handsome goddamn jack, in the flesh. he was really back, not to mention, he was seeing this guy who wasn’t in posters anymore. sure, he was in his head, he could’ve just said he was going crazy. but now he was here, rhys would reach out and touch him if he wanted to. AS USUAL, his body moved faster than his brain. rhys raised his hands, planting them of jack’s chest, deep sigh coming from his lips. rhys should really watch himself; the sigh coming out as wistful, like touching jack was something he was aching to do. “ –– jack… ” he whispered, “ it’s really y-you. ” rhys felt his body move without his mind telling him what to do as he wrapped his arms around his neck, holding him close. “ oh, my god. ” he mumbled, almost coming out as a moan. like he’d been waiting to hold jack like this for years. 

     rhys was a smart kid, jack could see that plain as day, he just had... bad executions of his plans and ideas. though it was certainly something they could work on with a little more time, especially since jack was actually human and rhys didn’t have to carry hyperion on his own. well, he was never alone, but it was hard to be included when you were nothing but an ai. all in all, rhys did a pretty alright job with his company. in no time flat though, rhys would be nothing but his pretty lap dog. and the handsome jack certainly wasn’t gonna complain about something like that. not in a million years. rhys W A S pretty, no way could jack deny that. jack definitely didn’t think he had a thing for dudes, but maybe it was the fact that rhys had a bit of a more... feminine body that attracted jack so much. maybe maybe maybe.

     a rumbling chuckle pushes its way up from jack’s throat as rhys clings onto his neck, hesitant only for a moment to bring his hands down to rest on rhys’ tiny waist. “ yeah, dum dum. we just went over this. “ though he smiles, something close to fondness for the kid in his arms. though he hardens himself after what he deems too long, patting rhys’ hip with his hand before saying “ alright, cupcake. get off me, before you cream your pants. “ though a bit ROUGHER than jack had intended, he pushes rhys off of him, that same shit-eating grin on his lips the moment rhys waltzed through the door as he looks down at him. “ so, what was the meeting about ? anythin’ important ? or just the weekly ‘i have to remind these douchebags what i’m paying them for’ ? “

[presidenthyperion]

— salty little pretzel.

     waking up was different now. waking up without having handsome jack there to guide him into what he had to work on in the coming days. he had nothing left, everything he did was guessing work now. and no one questioned it because he was the one that handsome jack left in charge; if you questioned handsome jack, consider yourself dead. though, the power he had never failed to make him nervous. a button and someone was turned into space debris. his signature could cause a town on pandora to be destroyed. then again, this is what rhys wanted. this is the job rhys wanted, worked so hard for. and now that he had it, he wasn’t sure he could do it alone. 

    pathetic, he knew it was. but when you’ve spent so long with someone. someone that you’ve ( grown attached to ) learnt so much about. someone that you’ve ( now felt special to ) listened to. someone you’ve OBEYED. you know where your place is and you know what your job is. but, when jack up and left, leaving him alone; he now had a new job. and it was to do this all alone. and, of course, he wondered where jack fucking went. it wasn’t as if he could just… GO. he was a part of something, someone had to have seen him in the system. he ever asked vaughn to work his nerdy magic and nothing. there wasn’t even a trace of the president left. there was a wave a panic and then sadness and then NUMBNESS which is where he was now. THE MEETING. numb and asking some middle manager to take his notes for him so he could read them over later and then simply take this as they hit him. 

    rhys’s steps were slow and lazy, back hunched over as his lanky body tried it’s best to look smaller. a key difference between him and handsome jack was that rhys’ body told emotions while jack’s face was either stone cold or angry. rhys was far too weak for that. regardless, he made his way back to his office, shutting the huge doors behind him, ignoring his PA’s panicked words. he had no time for something like that. he held his back against the door, eyes squinting as he saw a figure in his ( jack’s ) chair. “ funny, ” he called, out. steps were slow again. “ take the fucking costume off and get out of my chair before i make your press the button to the trap door. ” he groan, hands rubbing the numb from his face. it wasn’t until he took a few steps too close, did his eyes widen. steps quickened in pace, careful not to trip over the dry spaghetti he called legs. “ wha–– ” he stopped himself, looking at the man behind the desk. 

     okay, maybe he didn’t disappear COMPLETELY ( at least not until his AI was re-downloaded into his body ) but he was radio-silent on rhys and the entire spaceship. he had faith in rhys and in the fact that he could handle himself just fine, the kid was good at what he did. definitely way more organized than jack was, but that was something he knew would come in handy in the future. when he was frantically searching for a file he had tossed aside earlier that morning, rhys had probably already filed it alphabetically, by colour, and level of importance. if rhys needed his help while he was gone, he’d do it as quietly and lowkey as possible. fixing up whatever rhys needed when he was dead tired, too out of it to even remember jack’s silent helping hand. and then right back to R&D he went. 

     rhys was special to jack, that was probably obvious to everyone on helios since jack literally gave him his prized possession. the top of the food chain. he gave him hyperion. ( maybe not gave it to him, but let him sit pretty up at the top with jack ) even if every one of these hoity toity employees looked down on rhys, they would never mean as much to the handsome jack as rhys was. he was his business partner, he was... something else. he’d say something similar to nish, but that was another conversation for another day. 

     jack taps at a few buttons on his chair, opening and closing the trap door, just so he can get a feel for it again. plays with the airlocks a few times ( shamelessly vents a couple into space, but he wasn’t too bothered. it was much more fun to actually get to press the button, feel it press under his calloused fingertips ) and plays with the light settings for his trophy case. all from the comfort of his desk. jack’s heart jolts a bit when he hears the mechanical hiss of the doors opening, shit-eating grin painting the lips of his mask as he watches him slug himself up the stairs. “ damn, i thought this costume was pretty believable. fooled a lot of people on my way up here. “ he lets out a dreamy sigh at the memory, though it’s all for the illusion. “ but no, not actually a costume. this is actually my body from the vault, just... not as jam-packed with bullets. pretty cool, right ? “ he pushes himself up out of his chair, stepping in front of rhys and standing only a few inches taller, that same grin plastered on his face. “ ya’ miss me, cupcake ? “

[presidenthyperion]

     jack had been ( mia ) for about a week now, leaving rhys in charge of the multimillion dollar space station while he worked with a few ( handsome jack devotee’s ) scientists down in R&D on P.H.J. as the former CEO had proudly named it. it was honestly no surprise that they had preserved his body, Handsome Jack was like a G O D amongst these little pea-brained assholes. so while he worked on getting his AI back into his old body, to get the body properly working just like it had before he had been ( killed ) by those filthy bandits. he left rhys so abruptly without a word, without a single instruction or any real guidance on how to run helios. even though rhys was the name in charge, this was still all jack’s, and he did as much of the work as physically possible. maybe they had defied the laws of physics, but in the end, jack was human again. living, breathing, shitting, killing. and that’s all he could ask for.

     walking back up to his rhys’ office was quite the journey, and he tried not to burst out laughing at the obnoxious reactions he got from his employees. must be shocking to see a guy that’s been dead for a month walking around like nothing had happened. but rhys was right, hyperion wasn’t the same without him. rhys was in a meeting, jack made sure of this as he interrogated their PA before waving her off and making his way into the grand office. he’s greeted by the statues of himself and the fluorescent blue lights, and he almost wants to cry just at the sight of it. making his way up the steps, an audible moan leaves the older man’s lips as he plops down in his grand chair, kicking his feet up on his desk and melting against the comfort of his chair. ten minutes. rhys’ meeting ended ten minutes ago exactly, if the clock on jack’s holomoniter was correct that is. which means that any minute now, the younger of the pair would be coming back up. and wouldn’t this be a pleasant little surprise ?

[presidenthyperion]

( rebornatlas. )

      ✕ –– cupcake, cupcake, cupcake. the worst pet name he’d given him; the least memorable one. he was quite partial to RHYSIE. regardless of pet names, he was referring to him and they stung worse each time one came from the other’s lips. his mind kept repeating how it all should’ve ended when his arm was gone, the id drive was ripped out, his echo eyes sliced from his eye. all traces of the hyperion ( dictator ) hero was supposed to be gone. as if the constant NIGHTMARES weren’t enough, now it was a reality… again. their conversations before were a back and forth and now it’d gotten to a point where rhys had nothing to say. maybe it was the shock of him being back or maybe it was just the fact that he didn’t want to waste his breath on someone who he could get rid of. well, he COULD. if he really tried, he could get rid of jack, truly. no more cybernetics, cut himself off to be free from this mental prison. but his heart ACHED at the thought of forgetting about him. really and truly forgetting about him, not having to worry any more. a soft scoff, paired with an eye roll was all handsome jack received. it wasn’t a compliment, whatever jack had given him, it wasn’t a compliment. he didn’t give compliments.

       ✕ –– narrowed eyes looked down on the transparent man, almost as if he were trying to figure out if he could see what was beyond the figure. though, he relaxed, sitting back in his chair, fingers lacing together, as he looked at the man on his desk. rhys takes a stand once jack stopped talking, “ you know, i usually would be T E R R I F I E D. seeing as you could control this, ” he spoke, fingers waving, grin on his lips. “ but now, you’ve got no power. so, good luck doing pretty much… ANYTHING. ”

     even if rhys managed to get rid of jack ( FOR GOOD ) the former president of hyperion knew he wouldn’t be gone. his memory would live on in those he installed fear into, and he sure as hell would live on in rhys’ memory. now that thought alone, that felt better than getting to curbstomp a bandit. jack’s eyes narrowed a bit at rhys when all he gets in return is a scoff and an eyeroll, handsome jack deserves more than that. “ y’know, rhysie. when somebody compliments ya’, especially somebody as high up as me, you usually say thank you. somebody otta’ teach you some manners, kiddo. “ not that he really gave a rats ass, he just loved to poke and prod at rhys’ buttons till he got a satisfying reaction. though not satisfying, it’d have to do. 

     rhys had a POINT, it didn’t take a genius to know that. without any actual hyperion equipment implanted in rhys, there was no way handsome jack could hijack his body for his own calls... maybe not rhys’ body though. maybe he could somehow ( with his genius brain and genius plans ) he could get into timothy’s head and ride shotgun. then he’d really be back in business. jack pulls his shoulders up in a shrug, overconfidence still driving it home despite the doubt in the back of his head. “ i mean, who knows, compadre. i may home some control up in home office still, and you just don’t know it. “ if he could actually reach out and touch rhys, his fist would be knocking on the top of his head to express where “home office” exactly is. “ and even if i don’t, i’m sure we both know i will eventually. you’ll give it to me or i’ll find a way. that’s just how i work. “

[presidenthyperion]

( rebornatlas. )

       ✕ –– it was just a headache, right ? he still gets those regularly, being the ceo of a major weapon manufacturer had its cons, just like everything. it wasn’t all celebrations and champagne bottles, though he’d wished for that. his hand coming up to cover his eye, a pained whine came from his lips, tuning what his glasses wearing sidekick was saying. he heard something of concern and she his head, rubbing the P A I N farthing into his eye. “ hm ? i’m al- yeah, i’m alright. i just think i should get the eye checked out, i guess. ” he mumbled, waving his off. “ hey, do you mind if we talk about this later ? i think i just need a second… or two. ” his request was more of a direction ( a command ) to the other man who nodded and left. the sound of the door closing behind him was a signal for rhys to bang the metal on his temple. the apple of his palm coming off with a deeper imprint each time. “ get out of my head, you JACKASS. ”

      ✕ –– rhys gave a long blink, hoping to just see darkness; when was he ever so lucky ? the translucent cornflower color filling the back of his eyelids. opening them up he was relieved ( ? ) to not see him; though short lived. eyes following the blue haze beside him, familiar, tanned fingers moving though his collar. “ no, no, no. i took you out. ” he shook his head, the sentence he muttered was more of a shushed prayer. “ i was supposed to WIN. ”

     jack moves from behind his chair to sit on the younger male’s desk ( though not as grand as his own, and probably didn’t have as many murderous buttons. lame ) with a grin of the cat who got the creme. “ jackass ! i see what you did there, kiddo. you must be so proud of yourself, your little brain came up with a joke. “ handsome jack laughs heartily as his arms cross over his chest, holographic gaze taking in the sight of rhys’ in front of him. handsome jack likes to think he somewhat rubbed off on rhys here, trying to follow in his footsteps. just in a way more boring, and low class way. atlas, really ? rhys could do so much better. so much POTENTIAL. “ you’re quite a looker now, cupcake. new echoeye, really fun hanging around in there for the past few months. shiny new cybernetic arm, black suit. really thought that hyperion label suited you better. give it a 9/10. “

     “ no, no, no. i took you out. “ his voice goes a bit higher as he mocks rhys, shaking his head with a laugh as he looks down upon the atlas ceo. “ that’s cute, that really is, cupcake. “ jack’s leg comes up to cross over his knee at the ankle, sickly sweet smile on the hologram’s lips as he watches rhys closely. “ the hero always wins, and i guess that’s just not you, pumpkin. i’m handsome goddamn jack ! i’m the real winner, baby. and you just can’t get me outta the game no matter what. “

[presidenthyperion]

     “ did you really think you could get rid of me, pumpkin ? “ the voice of handsome jack rings throughout the new atlas ceo’s ears, having lain low in his head for months now. rhys may have ripped out his echoeye and cybernetics, but that didn’t stop stop jack. handsome jack doesn’t die. that just doesn’t happen. without the actual hyperion brand echoeye attached, jack has little power in this body over the dickhead, only managing to interrupt rhys in random glitchouts and a distant voice in his noggin. but it was a start nonetheless. and jack had this going for months, he ( knew ) rhys would do nothing about it and simply wave it off as a coincidence. but with storing enough power and concentration, the ai had managed ( FINALLY ) to come back into the reality and back as a hologram. 

     “ you really dicked me over, kiddo. but you didn’t win. i said it when you put that freakin’ id drive in your bucket. handsome jack doesn’t die. “ standing behind the atlas’ ceo’s desk, a wicked smile takes the former dictator’s lips, hands coming down to clap rhys’ shoulders though... it’s not very effective as his hands simply go through his body.